Captain America Vol 1 109
Supporting Characters: * ** ** *** *** *** *** *** ** * ** Antagonists: * ** *** ** Fifth Column *** Three unnamed Fifth Columnists Other Characters: * * * Races and Species: * Locations: * ** *** ** *** **** ***** ****** ******* ******** ***** **** ***** **** ***** Items: * and * * * Vehicles: * U-boat Events: * World War II | Synopsis1 = Captain America has a visit from Nick Fury, and tells the SHIELD operative an old war story from 1944, in which he and Bucky worked together to take down a Nazi coastal gun control unit so that Allied Forces could launch another beach assault in the war effort. This story once more leads Cap into his lamentations over Bucky's death, and how guilt ridden he is that he managed to outlive his young partner. Fury is not that sympathetic about Bucky's loss and points out that Captain America at least still has his youth and fighting spirit and that even back during World War II he made Fury's Howling Commandos look like amateurs in battle. Captain America explains to Nick that in order for Captain America to live, it had to come at the sacrifice of Steve Rogers, and begins telling the tale of how he became Captain America: In the early days of World War II, before America got involved in the war, frail Steven Rogers attempted to apply for the military. However, he would not pass his physical, and he would be rejected when he would attempt to volunteer. Overhearing this conversation was a military Colonel, who would offer him the chance to test a new experiment that might make him fit for joining the army and fighting in the war. As Steve Rogers was led away, off America's shores a Nazi submarine would get past America's sea mine defense and release a spy who was about to infiltrate the secret experiment called Operation: Rebirth. Under absolute secrecy, Steve Rogers is taken to an antique shop which was really a front for the secret operation and eventually he would meet the scientist behind the super-soldier serum: Professor Reinstein. Before an audience of military brass (and the Nazi spy), Rogers would be injected with the serum and then exposed to Vita-Rays that would speed up the process of transforming Steve Rogers from a frail young man into that of man at the peak of human perfection. After the experiment Reinstein would be shot by the Nazi spy and in his death the secret behind the serum would be lost. Steve would then attack and ultimately kill the Nazi spy in stopping him from assassinating him as well. With America's only super-soldier, the US army would set up Steve as Captain America and have him fight crime in America until the United States officially entered World War II. They would set Steve up under the command of Sgt. Duffy, and under orders of the War Department, Steve was to keep his double identity a secret. To cover for this, Steve would act as a first class bungler when not operating as Captain America. Steve would make fast friends with Bucky Barnes, his platoon's mascot who's father was killed in the line of duty. It would be Bucky who would first learn Captain America's true identity and use that information to force Cap to allow Bucky to be his sidekick. Cap finishes up his story that by the wars end Bucky's luck ran out and he died. With his story done, Steve thanks Nick for letting him get things off his chest. As Fury walks out the door to go and resume his work at SHIELD, he tells Cap that losses like that are hard to forget, but recommends that Steve go out there and get have a few laughs. With Fury gone, Steve considers that perhaps after all these years, he's forgotten how to. | Notes = Continuity Notes * This issue's story further expands Captain America's origin story from , adding several new details: ** It is revealed that Steve Rogers was rejected by U.S. Army, and later contacted by Operation Rebirth's (here named Project Super-Soldier) General Phillips. He then met the Project's head, Professor Reinstein, who brought Steve to Project Super-Soldier Facility in Washington, D.C. ** According to this account, Steve's body has been enhanced by the Vita Rays, invisible rays created by Professor Reinstein himself, received by Steve through an apposite chamber. * Some elements and particulars from this issue's account had been retconned or modified in later tellings of Captain America's origin: ** Professor Reinstein has been already named Dr. Erskine in ; in , Reinstein is revealed to be a codename used to cover Dr. Erskine's identity. In , the Professor's complete name is revealed as Abraham Erskine. ** According to , Steve did not meet Dr. Erskine at the U.S. Army Recruiting Center in New York City, but he did at the Project's facility after have being brought there by General Phillips. ** 's account revealed that Steve received the Super-Soldier Serum through an injection (as originally shown in ), then assumed an oral compound (shown in ) and was later bombarded by the Vita Rays. Chronology Notes A flashback in this story affects the chronology of the following characters: Bucky (James Barnes) * * * Pag. 19, Panel 4 and Pag. 20, Panel 1 recap events shown in . * Captain America (Steve Rogers) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Pag. 19, Panel 4 and Pag. 20, Panel 1 recap events shown in . * General Phillips * * * * * * * Professor Reinstein * * * * * * * Heinz Kruger * * * * * * Agent R * * * Dr. Anderson * * Under-Secretary Simms * * Publication Notes * This issue contains a letters page: Let's Yap With Cap. Letters are published from Gordon Matthews, Kenneth Burke, Wayne Warfield, Phil Blunt, Dan Daugherty, Dale Landry, Harvey Sobel and Don McGregor. | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = }}